Eagles Flying High in this Week's Polls

By wpengine | February 18, 2004

Despite winning four in a row and claiming its first home four-point weekend of the season, the men’s hockey team remained on the outside looking in at the USCHO.com Division I poll. Cornell (12-7-6, 10-5-3 ECAC) received 12 votes, up from just one a week ago.

Boston College, which moved into the nation’s top spot last week, solidified its position by winning all three of its games. Last Tuesday, the Eagles beat rival Boston College 2-1 in the final of the Beanpot. It then polished Massachusetts in a home-and-home series by scores of 5-2 and 6-1.

The Fighting Sioux, which had reigned over the college hockey world for much of the season, remained at No. 2 despite splitting with Colorado College. North Dakota has struggled as of late, losing four if its previous seven games. Following in the No. 3 spot is Maine which earned three road points at Hockey East cellar dweller Northeastern. Michigan moved up to fourth after sweeping Miami to take over the lead in the CCHA.

Perhaps the most surprising team in the country, Minnesota-Duluth rose to No. 5 after its impressive sweep of defending national champion Minnesota. In the two weekend games, the Bulldogs routed the Gophers by scores of 6-1 and 4-1.

Wisconsin had the week off, yet moved up one spot to No. 6. The Badgers have a crucial week ahead of them, though, as they will host St. Cloud State for a pair of games, with both teams currently tied for third in the WCHA. Minnesota was the week’s big loser, dropping three spots to No. 7 after being embarrassed at Minnesota-Duluth.

St. Cloud State, UNH, and Miami (OH) rounded out the top 10. St. Cloud State rose two positions after a pair of wins over Bemidji State while UNH jumped one slot with a pair of ties at conference rival UMass-Lowell. Meanwhile, Miami fell two positions after losing a pair to the Wolverines, and with it, the lead in the CCHA.

After putting up 16 goals over the weekend, Denver moved to No. 11 in the poll. The Pioneers dismantled Minnesota State by a 7-1 score before winning a 9-7 shootout the following evening. Checking in behind Denver is Ohio State, which swept Nebraska-Omaha. Brown, Massachusetts, and Colorado College occupied the final three positions in the poll.

Archived article by Alex Ip

Cagers Adept at Providing Leadership, Laughs

By wpengine February 19, 2004

There’s six point three seconds left, and Cornell is down by two. Senior tri-captain Karen Force receives the ball and dribbles down the court. She spots a lane opening on the left side of the paint and drives towards the basket. With time winding down, Force moves in and throws up a shot. The ball bounces off the glass, off the front of the rim and in. 0.9 seconds remain on the clock, and Force has just tied the game against two-time defending league champ Harvard. It’s this kind of lightning-quick decision making that has come to characterize Force as a, well, force to be reckoned with. “As far as that last lay-up and that last situation goes, it’s something that you kind of have to recognize as it happens. It’s nothing you can really draw up.” said Force. “We have an idea what we want to do and where we want specific people to be, and within that, given what the defense gives you or what they take away, you kind of have to play with that. The lane looked like it opened up, so I took my chance, I guess.” The Red went on to win the game in overtime four weeks ago, handing the Crimson its first conference road loss since 2000. Force’s quick decision making in the final seconds helped the Red avenge a double-overtime loss from two years earlier against Harvard, and she has been making big plays on the court during her four years at Cornell. While her playing days on the East Hill are almost over, basketball is something that will always be a part of Force’s life. Growing up, Force developed a passion for the game, going to great lengths to play year round. “My mom would go to Target and get those little stretchy gloves with the sticky rubber pieces, and I’d shovel the driveway, and turn on the driveway lights, and play at night in the winter,” Force said. This year she has the added challenge of playing through a knee injury. While it has been an obstacle on the court, Force has become a tougher and stronger player because of the experience. “She’s just been gritty, tough, playing through pain — pain, not only physical but probably emotional and mental because it’s a tough thing to take. She just steps up at huge moments. She’s probably one of the toughest people I’ve ever been around, and it’s pretty amazing to see,” said head coach Dayna Smith. Even though her injury has limited her this season, Force has still made a great impact on the court. She averages the second-most minutes on the team, and leads the team in assists. While sometimes her contributions do not always show up in the box score, her teammates and coaches know that she plays with great passion and competitiveness anytime she is out on the floor. “A lot of times you don’t realize [point guards] have good games, because it doesn’t show up on box scores. Her great games are when our team is clicking, and she’s getting us in offenses, and she’s breaking presses and getting us fired up,” said Smith. Force displays a humble attitude on and off the court, always putting the team first. “She is very humble and I think as a point guard you need to be humble. Your first priority is to make the other players look better and to run the show a little bit, and I think she definitely has the qualities of a person that enable her to be a good point guard. She’s very unselfish, she just cares about the team,” Smith said. As a senior, Force has had the opportunity to mentor the younger players, including freshman point guard Katherine Stritzl. It is a role that Force is happy to take on. “The mentoring position is always one that is unique but fun to fulfill because to try to help someone out in your own position, and to see them click with things and start to understand things, it’s really fun to see. Stritz’s is a hard worker, she’s a great kid, and I know she’ll come into her own here,” said Force. Force has made her mark on Cornell basketball during her career, breaking several program records along the way. However, personal records are the last thing on her mind. “I think that she’s not only a good player, she’s a good teammate, she’s a good person. [A person like Force] just doesn’t come around everyday. She’s very unselfish, and for someone as talented as her, it’s just really refreshing to be around,” commented Smith. Archived article by Jonathan Auerbach
Making the Case for Beer Pong

By wpengine February 19, 2004

Have you ever wondered what the most widely played sport on campus is? I’d be willing to bet it isn’t hockey, and it probably isn’t basketball either, or lacrosse, or tennis. No, I’m sure something else sparks more competitive juices, creates more intense rivalries, and inspires more trash talking. That something else is beer pong. I’ll count flip-cup in the same category too, and quarters, and possibly asshole, although probably not kings, because you can’t really win at kings. Then again, as one friend put it, “Everybody wins at kings.” On the whole, drinking games doubtlessly constitute a large part of the competition occurring on campus one weekend or another, and much of that competition is likely more gripping than most collegiate athletics — possibly including Ivy League football. I definitely know more people who play and watch drinking games on a regular basis than any other single sport. When you add the population that plays a drinking game once or twice a semester, the numbers skyrocket far past the number of spectators at any Cornell sporting event, besides hockey at least. This evidence might be slightly biased by my frat-boy perspective or the fact that I play beer pong regularly, but I still consider it nearly irrefutable; drinking games are phenomenally popular. Strangely enough, competitive alcohol consumption goes almost totally unreported in both sports news and university sponsored publications, and even when the games are covered, that coverage inevitably centers around the actual alcohol consumption rather than the epic battle for a victory. Blah blah, binge drinking. News flash: College students drink. Lots. But I think the real story is in the desire to drink better. But there doesn’t seem to be much organized effort to help people excel at booze consumption. No schools I’ve heard of offer drinking game scholarships. It definitely won’t help you get into an Ivy League school or gain you campus-wide fame once you’re there. No definitive ranking of drinkers exists at the university level, let alone a national one. Indeed, colleges don’t seem to trumpet the accomplishments of their drinkers too readily. Instead of noting the universal dedication and desire of a university’s drinking population, a school is much more likely to tout its national champion water polo team. But, provided he or she is not a water polo player, I’m guessing a competitive flip-cup environment might attract more students. Who wouldn’t want to go to the most skilled drinking school in the world, to get better, to succeed? As it stands, there are few concrete benefits to elite alcohol consumption sports. Those dedicated to competitive binge drinking can resort only to personal claims, claims that likely evolve with the progression of their night. “I’m definitely the best beer pong player in the house,” one athlete might say, or later, “I’m the best beer pong player in the world,” or perhaps even later, “I am indestructible…” and after a long pause “I love you man!” Few things, perhaps including foosball or the intent to enter medical school, inspire more competition here at Cornell. I’ve never seen any other sport inspire more students, both male and female, to take off their shirts and jump for joy, to blatantly heckle their competition, or fanatically belt obscenities in the faces of newly vanquished opponents. And at the same time, so many of us have felt the defeat, the dejection when that ping-pong ball strikes beer on that final cup… splash… and it’s over. Few times at a party feel lonelier. Indeed, the amount of fights started across the country because of drinking games is likely on par with the number of altercations stemming from soccer matches in the rest of the world. Quite an accomplishment. Part of the opposition to drinking games might come from the stigma against binge drinking. Yes, it does kill people, but so did football back in the day. There are problems with the sport, but those should be overcome. The benefits of the games: camaraderie, friends made, and games won, far outweigh the costs. And to be able to stand in front of a party full of people, screaming at the top of your lungs and bumping chests with a guy or girl you just met a few weeks ago is truly a beautiful thing. That’s what college is all about. Archived article by Matt James